Fabricated top for ironing tables



E. C. BOOTH Filed April 4, 1945 FABRICATED TOP FOR IRONING TABLES June l, 1948.

Patented June l, 1948 FABRICATEDTOP FOR IRONING TABLES" Earl" C.. Booth, Golumbus, Ind., assigner to. No-

Mitt-Sparks Industries, Inc., Golunibus,v Ind., a corporationcf Indiana Application April" 4, 1945, SerialNo. 586,467

1. My inventionrelates-to ironingl boards and has for its object the production of a metal ironingboard top which Canbesimply and economically manufactured, which will be light in weight.- and which will possess adequate strength-and rigidity, Anl ironing-board top i embodying. my invention comprises a border frame formedof-"met'al tubing and provided intermediate its lengtliiwithl one or more cross members formed of sheet-metal. Extending longitudinally of the'b'oardlisa truss-like brace passing below andX secured"z to= said cross members and having itsendsrbent upwardly and secured to the ends of the border frame. The entire border frameA is covered with a series of transversely extending sheet-metal panels,` the edges of which desirably overlap. One edge portion of each panel-is'bent downwardly to'iorm a substantially vertical flange received within a sheet-metal channellextending across and-secured to the border frame. The supporting structure for the top, which may take any desired form', is desirably connectedto the-cross members.

The accompanying' drawing illustrates myinvention. Fig. 1 is a side' elevationof acomplete ironing board in erected condition; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my improved top showing one panel and one channell imposition; Fig. 3 is a vertical-section on the line3'3of1 Fig; 1i; Fig; 4 is-a fragmental Vertical section on'thelineJ- of Fig; 5; Fig. 5 is a fragmentalplan-view similar to Fig. 2 but on an'enlarged" scale;l and Fig; is a fragmental verticali section on the line- Si--I of Fig. 5.

Thetop shown in the drawing comprises a border frame liormedoimetaltubing bent into the shape of the periphery of Vthecommon ironingboard top, the two sides vof the frame being parallel for a part of the length of the top and thencon.- verging and joining each other through a curved end portion. Extending transversely of the top are a pair of cross members IIl and I2 each con'- veniently formed of. sheet-metal bentl int'o. a channel cross-section and having ends secured, as by welding, tothe sides ofitlie border frame.

Extending longitudinally of the-'frame I-'Il' there is a truss-like brace I3desirably:formedlofmetal tubing. The brace I3 passes beneath' and is secured to the cross members il and I2. The cross members I I and I2 are so disposed vertically relative to the border frame that the brace I3 passing beneath them Will lie a distance below the plane of the border frame, and the ends of the brace I3 are bent upwardly as indicated at I4 and I5 to join the ends of the border frame to which they are secured, as by welding.

7: Claims; (Cl.l 38-137 The border frame is covered with a seriesof sheet-metal panels ITI. which extend transversely ofthe border frame and which desirably are providedl with a multiplicity of perforations I8. The ends of? eachoffthe panels IJ' are bent downwardly as shown at Il" to conform to the curva.-

ture of-'thetubing ofiwhich the frame Iis formed andare secured tosuch frame as by welding. To strengthen` the topi the side edges of adjacent panels I'Idesirably overlap. As willlbe clear from Fig. 5'the right hand? edge' of each panelY I1 is offset downwardly betweenthe'sides of the frame I'toreceive the left-hand edge of the adjacent panel, thev amountof such offsetting being substantiallyequal tothe thicknessfof the metal of which the panels Iflfare formed so that the upper surfaces ofY the panels will be flush with each other. The left-hand edge of each panel I'I is provided at' its endsV with notches I9 each proportioned to receivev the unoiset portions of the right-hand edge'of the adjacent panel II.

Inaddition to being'A offset to receive the lefthandedge of the adjacent panel, the right-hand edge of ecah panel is bent downwardly to provide a vertical flange 2-2 which extends substantially for vthe full' distance between the sides of the frame ISU: The flange v22'offeachpanelis received within a channel 2-3l which i's'conveniently formed as a sheet-metalstamping provided at each end with anl ear 24V Whichlies against the inner surface of theborder frame and is secured thereto as by spot-welding. Ther-sides of each channel 23 are desirably securedl tothe flange 22 between them-by spot welding.

The'crossmembers II- and I2 form a convenient Ineans'forat-taching thetoptoa collapsible supportingA structure 251 To this end, the webs of thefchannel-section'-cross members Ii and'l2 are cut to provideears 2'lwhich are bent downwardly out of:A the planeof the channel-web and into parallel relationship so that elements of the supporting structure 25 may be pivotably secured between'them` as bypivot bolts or pinsr 28. The particular support-ing structure 5- shown in the drawing forms nopart of myv present invention, but* YisA more1 fully described and claimed in my copending application Serial No.y 646,367 filed February 8, 1946i Obviously, my ironing-board top is not limited to use with any particular form of supporting structure.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an ironing-board top, an elongated border frame, a longitudinally extending brace having its ends secured to said border frame, said brace having an intermediate portion depressed below the plane of the border frame, a cross-member -above and secured to the depressed intermediate portion of said brace and having its ends secured to the sides of said bor'der frame, a plurality of sheet-metal panels covering said border frame, adjacent transverse edge portions of adjacent panels overlapping each other, the lower of each two overlapping edge-portions being oiset downwardly between the sides of the border frame and the ends of the other overlapping edge-portion being notched above the sides of the border frame to receive the ends of the rst edge-portion whereby the upper surfaces of the panels will be flush with each other, the offset edge-portion of each panel being' provided with an integral, downwardly projecting dangeextending transversely of the border frame, and a sheet-metal channel receiving and secured to each of said flanges and provided at its ends with integral ears secured to said border frame.

2. In an ironing-board top, an elongated border frame, a longitudinally extending brace having its ends secured to said border frame, said brace having an intermediate portion depressed below the plane of the border frame, a cross-member above and secured to the depressed intermediate portion of said brace and having its ends secured to the sides of said border frame, a plurality of sheet-metal panels covering said border frame, adjacent transverse edge portions of adjacent panels overlapping each other, the lower of each two overlapping edge-portions being offset downwardly between the sides of the border frame and the ends of the other overlapping edge-portion being notched above the sides f the border frame to receive the ends of the rst edge-portion whereby the upper surfaces of the panels will be flush with each other, the offset edge-portion of each panel being provided with an integral, downwardly projecting flange extending transversely of the border frame, and a sheet-metal channel receiving and secured to each of said flanges and having its ends secured to said border frame.

3. In an ironing-board top, an elongated border frame, a longitudonally extending brace having its ends secured to said border frame, said brace having an intermediate portion depressed below the plane of the border iframe, a cross-member above and secured to the depressed intermediate portion of said brace and having its ends secured to the sides of said border frame, a plurality of sheet-metal panels covering said border frame, adjacent transverse edge portions of adjacent panels overlapping each other, the lower of each two overlapping edge-portions being offset downwardly between the sides of the Iborder frame and the ends of the other overlapping edge-portion being notched above the sides of the border frame to receive the ends of the first edge-portion whereby the upper surfaces of the panels will be flush with each other. Y

4. In an ironing-board top, an elongated border frame, a longitudinally extending brace having its ends secured to said border frame, said brace having an intermediate portion depressed below the plane of the border frame, a cross-member above and secured to the depressed intermediate portion of said brace and having its ends secured to the sides of said border frame, a series of sheet-metal panels each extending transversely of said border frame between the sides thereof and secured at their ends to such frame-sides, one transverse edge of each panel being bent downwardly to form an integral, downwardly projectingange extending transversely of the border frame, and a sheet-metal channel receiving and secured to each of said anges and having its ends secured to said border frame.

5. In an ironing-board top, an elongated border frame, a plurality of sheet-metal panels covering said border frame, adjacent transverse edge portions of adjacent panels overlapping each other, the lower of each two overlapping edgeportions being odset downwardly between the sides of the border frame and the ends of the other overlapping edge-portion being notched above the sides of the border frame to receive the ends of the first edge-portion whereby the upper surfaces of the panels will be flush with each other, the offset edge-portion of each panel being provided with an integral, downwardly projecting flange extending transversely of the border frame, and a sheet-metal channel receiving and secured to each of said flanges and provided at its ends with integral ears secured to said border frame.

6. In an ironing-board top, an elongated border frame, a plurality of sheet-metal panels covering said border frame, adjacent transverse edge portions of adjacent panels overlapping each other, the lower of each two overlapping edgeportions being oiset downwardly between the sides of the border frame and the ends of the other overlapping edge-portion being notched above the sides of the border frame to receive the ends of the first edge-portion whereby the upper surfaces of the panels will be fiush with each other.

7. In an ironing-board top, an elongated border frame, a series of sheet-metal panels each extending transversely of said border frame between the sides thereof and secured at their ends to such frame-sides, one transverse edge of each panel being bent downwardly to form an integral, downwardly projecting flange extending transversely of the border frame, and a sheet-metal channel receiving and secured to each of said anges and having its ends secured to each of said flanges and having its ends secured to said border frame.

EARL C. BOOTH.

REFERENCES QITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,473,364 Voelker Nov. 6, 1923 1,770,856 Lewis July 15, 1930 1,949,543 Loucks July 27, 1934 2,235,882 John Mar. 25, 1941 2,289,653 John July 14, 1942 2,325,493 Fay July 27, 1943 

